Central Ohio Relocalization Effort (CORE), Columbus, Ohio

A study titled, Public Transportation's Contribution to U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction, was prepared for the American Public Transportation Association (AFTA) by Science Applications International Corporation. The organization, Science Applications International Corporation, is the same entity that produced the Hirsch report, Peaking World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation and Risk Management. On September 26, 2007 AFTA put out a press release announcing this important study. There remains no more questions to be answered regarding the importance of public transportation and it's ability to help mitigate global warming.

Also, Environmental Science and Technology Online News did a very interesting story, "Higher ozone levels from renewable fuels" last May. The author accurately quoted the U.S. EPA acknowledging that the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (which mandates 7.5 million gallons of renewable fuel by 2012) will only displace .8 to 1.6% of the petroleum used in the transportation sector and will only reduce transportation sector CO2 emissions by .4 - .6%. The U.S. EPA admits that NOx emissions will increase 6 - 7% and VOC emissions will increase 4 - 5% as a result of burning more corn ethanol. This is not good news for Ohioans as we have 35 counties (see attachmen) that currently don't meet EPA air quality standards.

Both the American Public Transportation Association's Press Release and the Environmental Science and Technology Online News article are in the attachment titled "Railnotcornethanol".

Anita Laurin, Coordinator